State Independent Electoral Commission. Each State established a SIEC to conduct its Local Government elections while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Each State Independent Electoral Commission operates independently.

The values of the Commission are as Follows:
i. Autonomy: INEC shall carry out all it’s functions independently, free from external control and influence.
ii. Transparency: INEC shall display openness and transparency in all its activities and in its relationship with all stakeholders.
iii. Integrity: INEC shall maintain truthfulness and honesty in all its dealings at all times.
iv. Credibility: INEC shall ensure that no action or activity is taken in support of any candidate or political party.
v. Impartiality: INEC shall ensure the creation of a level playing field for all political actors.
vi. Dedication. INEC shall be committed to providing quality electoral services efficiently and effectively, guided by best international practices and standards.
vii. Equity: INEC shall ensure fairness and justice in dealing with all stakeholders.
viii. Excellence: INEC shall be committed to the promotion of merit and professionalism as the basis for all its actions.
ix. Team work: INEC shall create a conducive environment that promotes teamwork among its staff at all levels.

Conduct elections to elective offices except those of Local Government Areas of the thirty-six (36) States of the Federation;

Compile and maintain the register of voters and issue Voters’ Cards;

Conduct any referendum required in line with the 1999 Constitution or any other Act of the National Assembly;

Delimit electoral constituencies;

Register and de-registers political parties;

Monitor the organization and operations of all political parties;

Arrange for annual examination and auditing of the finances of political parties;

Monitor the campaigns of political parties;

Carry out recall proceedings where voters can remove an elected representative in the State or National Assembly from office if they are not satisfied with the representative’s performance;

Provide rules and guidelines for its operations and the operation and conduct of political parties;

Promote knowledge of sound democratic processes;

Conduct voter and civic education;

Ensure that all Electoral Commissioners, Electoral and Returning Officers take and subscribe to oaths of office prescribed by law; delegate any of its powers to any Resident Electoral Commissioner; and carry out such other functions as may be conferred upon it by an Act of the National Assembly;

The members of the Commission are appointed by the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria following due consultation with the Council of States and confirmation by the Senate for a specified tenure of five (5) years from the date of appointment.

Yes. As stipulated in Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the INEC Chairman and the Commissioners can be removed from office by the President acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate praying that he/she be so removed for the following reason(s):

INEC Headquarters is located at Plot 436, Zambezi Crescent, Maitama District, Abuja and have offices in the 36 State capitals and the FCT as well as in the Headquarters of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Federation and the six (6) Area Councils of the FCT.

The Secretary, appointed by the Commission heads the Secretariat while Directors head the Departments and Directorates at the Headquarters. The composition also consists of Administrative Secretaries at States and FCT Offices as well as directing staff and other categories of staff. The HODs head the departments at the States and FCT while the Electoral Officers (EOs) head the LGA Offices and are assisted by Assistant Electoral Officers (AEOs).

State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) conduct local government elections in the 36 States while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts the area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

There is a Department in the Commission known as Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil Society Organizations and Liaison (VEP) that deals with issues relating to Women, Youth and People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) to promote their participation in political process.

The acronym EADR stands for Electoral Alternative Dispute Resolution. It is a Directorate in the Commission that provides voluntary means for parties in dispute to engage in constructive, interest-based discussions and processes in settling their disputes as opposed to litigation.

The followings are the roles of ICCES:
I. Coordinates the design of an election security management for INEC;
II. Develops locally focused plans for providing security before, during and after elections
III. Harmonizes the training , deployment and action of security personnel on election duties;
IV. Advises State INEC on rapid response to security threats around elections, including voter registration;
V. Ensures a reduction in transaction costs to INEC of dealing with individual security agencies on issues of elections;
VI. Accesses existing security threats across the States that have implication for elections and produces a Red, Amber and Green electoral security map which is regularly updated;
VII. Evaluates the performance of security agencies on election duties and recommends improvements and sanctions, where necessary.

The objectives of NICVEP are as follows:
I. To ensure interagency cooperation in voter education;
II. To promote public/private partnership on voter education;
III. To ensure proper coordination and monitoring of voter education messages and materials;
IV. To mainstream gender and disability issues in voter education.

The Commission organizes stakeholders’ meetings and seminars to sensitise members on the various aspects of the electoral process, i.e. procedure as well as other information necessary to enable them take necessary steps as well as make informed choices such as; What is the event? When it is taking place? Who is to participate? Why the need for participation? Where is it taking place as well as how to participate?

INEC engages the public directly through INEC Citizens Contact Centre (ICCC) to enhance transparency and participation in the electoral process. The centre offers the public constant access to the Commission with enquiries and exchange of information:
i. Covers all Commission’s events and upload in real time on all social media platforms;
ii. Surf the internet daily to pick out content relating to INEC for necessary action;
iii. Take complaint from citizens and also provide feedback via the Commission’s hotlines and social media platforms;
iv. Send INEC’s Notices, Statements, Clarifications, rebuttals on the website and all social media platforms;
v. Compliment the situation room staff during elections;
vi. Online voter education on INEC social media platforms.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Commission is empowered to register Political Parties if they meet the following conditions:

I. The names and addresses of its national officers must be registered with INEC;
II. Its governing body must have members from at least two thirds of Nigeria (ie from at least 24 states).
III. Every citizen of Nigeria must be free to join the association irrespective of place of origin, birth, ethnicity, sex or religion;
IV. Provision of the minutes of the meeting of members of its National Executive Committee indicating approval and adoption of the name, constitution, manifesto and symbol/logo of the proposed political party;
V. A copy of its Constitution must be registered with the Commission;
VI. The name and symbol or logo of the association must not contain any ethnic or religious representation/idea;
VII. The headquarters of the association must be situated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;
VIII. Its constitution must stipulate holding of regular elections for its executive and governing bodies.

For an association to be registered as a political party, it must meet the following conditions:

The names and addresses of its national officers must be registered with INEC;

Every citizen of Nigeria must be free to join the association irrespective of place of origin, birth, ethnicity, sex or religion;

Provision of the minutes of the meeting of members of its National Executive Committee indicating approval and adoption of the name, constitution, manifesto and symbol/logo of the proposed political party;

A copy of its Constitution must be registered with the Commission;

The name and symbol or logo of the association must not contain any ethnic or religious representation/idea;

The headquarters of the association must be situated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;

It must hold regular elections for its executive and governing bodies.

Yes. With the amendment to the constitution, (new section 225A), an existing Political Party can be de-registered on the ground of breach of any of the requirements for its registration or failure to win 25% of votes cast in 1 state of the federation in a Presidential Election or 25% (Governorship election), 25% in Ward (Chairmanship election), or one seat in the National or State Houses of Assembly election.

No, they cannot. Only registered Political Parties can do so. The Nigerian Constitution prohibits any group or association that is not a political party from sponsoring candidates, campaigning or canvassing for votes.

Yes. INEC regulates the amount an individual can contribute to a political party. No political party shall accept any monetary or other contribution of a value more than N1,000,000 (One Million Naira) unless it can identify the source of the money or contribution to the Commission.

I. A presidential candidate can spend a maximum amount of N1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira);
II. A governorship candidate can spend a maximum amount of N200,000,000 (Two hundred Million Naira);
III. A senatorial candidate can spend a maximum amount of N40,000,000 (Forty Million Naira);
IV. A House of Representative candidate can spend maximum amount of N20,000,000 (Twenty Million Naira);
V. For State Assembly election, a candidate can spend a maximum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira);
VI. Chairmanship election to an Area Council, the maximum a candidate can spend is N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira);
VII. A Councillorship candidate can spend a maximum amount of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira).

No. It is an offence to use private security during campaigns. It is the duty of the Commissioner of Police of a state to provide security. A Political Party must notify the police ahead of such rallies.

No. The Electoral Act, 2010 as amended and the 1999 Constitution do not provide for Independent Candidates. You must be a member of a Political Party and be sponsored by that party to be eligible to contest any election.

No. INEC cannot refuse to accept a party’s list submitted within the stipulated time neither can it disqualify any candidate. According to Section 31(1)(6) of Electoral Act 2010 as amended, only a court of law can disqualify a candidate.

This is an intra – party affair. The candidate can present his complaint to his party in writing and copy INEC (for its information). He may apply for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the result of the primaries from the Commission as evidence. If the party fails to resolve the issue internally, the candidate can go to court to seek redress.

It is an offence punishable by law to deny any candidate or party access to the media. If such happens, the candidate should notify INEC and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, (NBC) stating the media house involved for further action.

His political party is entitled to send the name of another nominee to the Commission within the stipulated time (i.e. 45 days before the selection).

However, if after the time for submission of nomination and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Commission shall stop the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and shall appoint some other convenient day for the election.

The time for nomination will be extended by seven (7) days and if after the extension, only one candidate remains duly nominated, he/she shall be declared unopposed and elected in the case of legislative positions while for executive positions, i.e. Chairman of Area Council, Governorship or Presidential nomination the law requires that a poll be held where the electorate vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ (for or against).

According to law, registration of voters and the update or review of the voters’ lists must stop at least thirty (30) days before any election and the register to be used for the election must be certified.

The PVC stores information such as biometric data i.e. name, age and photograph, thumbprint, etc. It protects the information stored in the card. The information on the PVCs are electronically programmed and can only be read /assessed electronically with a card reader.

I. Adults who are eighteen (18) years and above, who are ordinarily resident, work in, originate from the Local Government Area Council or Ward covered by the registration centre and have not registered before;
II. Those who had registered but whose names are not found in the biometric Register of Voters during the display of the register/distribution of PVCs; and
III. Those who have just turned eighteen (18) years.

Verify your name on the distribution list during the distribution of PVC or at your INEC LGA Office. If your name is on the register, you will be required to fill an attestation form to enable you collect your PVC.

A claim is a process of alerting the Commission during the display of the Register that the name of a person who had registered to vote has been omitted from the register, is not properly spelt or any other particular is incorrect (e.g. gender or address);

Objection is to disagree with the Commission on the inclusion in the PRV of the name of a person on the ground that he/she is not qualified or entitled to be registered or is dead.

A copy of the PRV is displayed to enable the public study (scrutinize) the register during which any objection or complaint in relation to the names omitted or included in the voters’ register or any necessary correction is raised or filed.

No. You can only have one valid voter’s card at a time as it is an offence to have more than one card. (Section 15 sub-section 2 of the Electoral Act as amended). During transfer or replacement of damaged voter’s card, the old one will be retrieved from you before a new one is issued. A voter whose card is lost or damaged will be issued a voter’s card with DUPLICATE written on it.

Transfer of Registration of Voters/Replacement of Lost or Damaged Voters’ Cards

A voter’s registration can be transferred through the following steps:

Apply to INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner through the Electoral Officer of your LGA/Area Council (your present location where you want to be transferred to) more than 60 days before election.

A photocopy of the applicant’s voter’s card must be attached to the application;

The application should contain the current address of the applicant as this will assist in allocating the Polling Unit nearest to him/her, i.e. Write an application for transfer to the

If the Resident Electoral Commissioner is satisfied that the applicant is currently resident in the area, he/she shall approve the application and direct that the applicant’s details be transferred to his/her new location.

The HOD ICT on receiving the approved application shall:

Effect the transfer on the server;

Issue applicant with a Temporary Voter’s Card (TVC) and later print PVC;

Forward printed PVC to electoral officer for collection.

The Electoral Officer (EO) of the applicant’s LGA on receiving the approval shall:

Assign the applicant to the nearest Polling Unit to his/her new residence;

Enter the applicant’s details in the transferred voters’ list;

Issue the applicant with new PVC while the old one will be retrieved. OR

No. Unless he/she transfers his/her registration details to his/her state and is issued another voter’s card to that effect. Voters are only permitted by law to vote at polling units where they were registered and their names displayed.

Qualification/Disqualification to Contest Election and Recall of Elected Officers

(a) Area Council election in the FCT?
i. One must be a citizen of Nigeria.
ii. One must be registered as a voter.
iii. One must have attained the age of twenty five (25) years for Councillor and thirty (30) years for Chairman/Vice Chairman.
iv. One must be educated to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
v. One must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by it.

(b) Member of House of Assembly?
i. One must be a Nigerian;
ii. One must have attained the age of twenty five (25) years; (new amendment to Section 106 (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended);

iii. One must have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent;
iv. One must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by it.

(c) Member of the National Assembly?
i. One must be a citizen of Nigeria;
ii must have attained the age of thirty (35) years for Senate; and twenty five (25) years for the House of Representatives. (Section 65 (1) (a-b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended);
iii. One must have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent;
iv. One must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by it.

(d) Office of the Governor of a state?
i. One must be a Nigerian by birth;
ii. One must have attained the age of thirty five (35) years (Section 177 (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended);
iii. One must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by it;
iv. One must have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

(e). Office of President?
i. One must be a Nigerian by birth;
ii. One must have attained the age of thirty five (35) years (new amendment to Section 131(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended);
iii. One must have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent;
iv. One must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by that political party.

The electorate not satisfied with the performance of their representatives can present a petition to the Chairman of INEC for the recall of the representatives. The petition for recall must be signed by more than one half (50% + 1) of the total number registered voters in that constituency.

On receipt of a petition by the Chairman of the Commission for the recall of a member of National or State Assembly signed by more than one half of the total number of persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency alleging their loss of confidence in that member, the Commission shall within ninety (90) days of the receipt of the petition ensure that:
• The petition for recall presented is signed and arranged according to polling units, wards, LGA and constituency;
• The Commission shall cross check that the signatories appear on the voters register;
• The Commission shall notify the member sought to be recalled, stating the fact of the receipt of the petition for his/her recall;
• The Commission shall issue a public notice or announcement stating the date, time and location of verification;
• The Commission shall verify the signatories to the petition at the designated location;
• If more than one half (50% + 1) of the signatories are verified, the Commission goes ahead to conduct a referendum;
The member is recalled when more than half of the voters vote “yes” to recalling the member.
It is to be noted that while the petition should be presented by more than half of the Registered Voters, in a referendum, the yardstick is the majority i.e. more than half of the turnout of voters;
• If the number verified is less than one half of the registered voters in that constituency, the Commission shall write to the petitioners stating that the petition did not meet the minimum requirements and is therefore dismissed.

It is an election conducted when the first election fails to produce a clear winner to be returned for the position of President or Governor. This can happen when the candidate with the highest votes does not have the required vote spread in the State/Federation, i.e. he/she has not scored at least 25% of the valid votes cast in at least 2/3 (two-third) of the LGA of the state (for Governor) or at least 25% of the valid votes cast in at least 2/3 (two-third) of the States of the federation in the case of the President.

It is an election where the total number of registered voters in a particular constituency is sufficient to cause a change in the outcome due to the postponement of election or cancellation of result(s). It may also arise when no candidate meets the criteria for election or threshold to be returned as winner after the initial ballot.

He/she is responsible for the supervision of elections in a cluster of polling units/stations and liaises between the Electoral Officer and a number of Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) under his/her supervision in all matters affecting the election, especially in the distribution, collection and retrieval of election materials.

Yes. Election officials shall allow each party to be represented by one agent at a time in polling units and collation centres provided they are accredited by the Commission. To be accredited, the party must submit the names of the agents not later than seven (14) days before the election to INEC.

(i) To represent the interest of their Parties and Candidates to ensure that proper procedure, laws and regulations are complied with;
(ii) To observe the process of collection and distribution of election materials;
(iii) To observe the polling and counting of ballots as well as the collation and declaration of results on behalf of their parties;
(iv) To call the attention of the poll officials to any irregularity;
(v) To sign the result sheet if they so desire;
(vi) To testify in Courts/Tribunals in case of election petitions or litigations.

Election Observers are persons appointed by their respective organizations and accredited by INEC to observe the entire election process (distribution of election materials, accreditation process, voting, sorting and counting of ballots, collation of results and declaration of results) or any part thereof. There are two types of election observers i.e. Domestic and International Observers.

No. Election observers are not allowed to wear the badge or symbol of any political party. Observers shall comply with lawful directives issued by, or under the authority of INEC or its officials, including a directive to leave the Polling Unit or the Collation Centre if required to do so.

Yes, but only accredited Journalists are permitted into the Polling Units on Election Day on the condition that they do not disrupt polling. They have important role in reporting on the conduct of elections.

(i) To check unauthorized and multiple voting;
(ii) To stop impersonation as only the owners of voter’s card can vote;
(iii) To ascertain if the voter has previously voted in the election;
(iv) To ensure that only those who are registered in that unit actually vote there.

• The voters queue up in an orderly manner;
• The Poll Officials use the Smart Card Reader to read (verify and authenticate) the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) presented by a voter seeking to be accredited to confirm that his/her name is in the register of voters in that unit and that he/she is the rightful owner of the card;
• The officials then cross check the name in the register and tick on the left side of the register after the confirmation;
• Indelible ink is applied on the appropriate finger of the voter’s left hand;
• If the voter’s fingerprint is not authenticated, the voter may still be accredited if the Presiding Officer is satisfied that his/her name is in the register and that he/she is the rightful owner of the card.

In order to cast your vote, you are advised to stay within the polling unit before voting starts. If you decide to leave, ensure you return to the polling unit before the commencement of voting at 1.30pm. Once voters queue up and the number is recorded, no voter, accredited or not, will be allowed to join the queue.

It stores the voters’ information such as physical attributes, thumb prints etc; it protects information stored in the card. The information on the voter’s card is electronically programmed and can only be read/accessed electronically with the card reader.

Appear in person at the unit where you registered at the stipulated time – presently between 8.00am and 2.00pm with your permanent voter’s card;
a. Accreditation/voting commences at 8.00am. Voters are expected to queue up in an orderly manner;
b. Card reader is used to verify PVC presented by a voter and authenticate voter’s fingerprints.
c. The voter is issued with ballot paper(s) and directed to a cubicle to make his/her choice by thumb/finger printing against their preferred party/candidate on the ballot paper in secret, and thereafter, roll the ballot paper inwardly with the printed side inwards and flatten before dropping it into the ballot box in the full view of all present;
d. Where the voter’s PVC is read but his/her fingerprint is not authenticated, he/she is requested to thumbprint the appropriate box in the Register of Voter and write his/her phone number in the rectangular space provided in the register. He/she is allowed to continue with the accreditation/voting process.
e. Accreditation and voting close at 2.00 pm. A Security Personnel is required to stand behind the last person on the queue to prevent any other person joining. However, everyone on the queue as at 2.00 pm shall be attended to.
f. When the last voter on the queue has voted, the ballots are sorted, counted and the votes scored by each contesting party/candidate as well as the rejected/spoilt ballots are announced and filled into the result sheet;
g. The result is also entered into form EC 60E and pasted at the polling unit;
h. The results from the Polling Units are taken to the Registration Area for summation.

A rejected ballot is a ballot where the choice of the voter is not clear e.g. if the thumbprint is between two parties’ symbols, is not in a box near any party or the ballot paper is not thumb printed at all. Such ballot will be rejected and not counted for any party or candidate.

It is a ballot paper that is issued to a voter whose right to vote has been used by another person. After marking, the tendered ballot is delivered to the Presiding Officer and not allowed to be put inside the ballot box

No. You cannot vote unless you produce a permanent voter’s card. If yours is missing, then apply for a replacement from the Resident Electoral Commissioner/Electoral Officer of your State/LGA not later than sixty (60) days before election.

Yes. The Presiding Officer must do so before issuance. Failure by a Presiding Officer to stamp, sign and date the back of any ballot paper renders it invalid. Anyone not so stamped, signed and dated will not be counted as valid.

Yes. But he/she must be orderly and well behaved; otherwise he/she could be ejected by security agents. The law prohibits loitering and other disruptive activities within three hundred (300) meters radius of the polling unit.

No. Once results have been announced and return made by the Returning Officer, nobody, not even the Commission can overturn this. Any aggrieved party or candidate can only challenge this in an election tribunal.

(a) A person whose election is questioned was at the time of the election not qualified to contest the election;
(b)That the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act;
(c) That the respondent was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election; or
(d)That the petitioner or its candidate was validly nominated but was unlawfully excluded from the election.

It is an offence for a political party to submit to the Commission a name of someone who is not qualified. The political party on conviction is liable to a maximum fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira).

Any person who is in unlawful possession of any voter’s card, sells, attempts to sell, buys or attempts to buy any voter’s card whether owned by him or not, commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both.

Yes. Any Political Party that keeps back information regarding their finances and activities from the Independent National Election Commission shall be liable to a fine of N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only.

Yes. Appeals from the Court of Appeal for Presidential elections go to the Supreme Court, while those from National and State Assemblies go to the Court of Appeal, which is the final court for these. For petitions arising out of Governorship Elections, further appeals go to the Supreme Court.

It facilitates access to election-related information and knowledge.
It contributes to voter education efforts by reaching out to a large number of voters.
It provides information on how to transfer Registered voters (please refer to the answer to question 90).
If facilitates verification of voters’ status (please refer to the answer to question 73).

For the 2019 General Elections, INEC will use the Smart Card Reader to verify and authenticate every person who turns out to vote. This brochure has important information about the Card Reader and its uses on Election Days. We encourage all to take time to read it carefully – to understand the purpose of the Card Reader and how it will enhance the credibility of elections by deterring electoral malpractices and fraud.

Read the embedded chip in the PVC: thus making it impossible to use PVCs not issued by INEC

Confirm the identity of the voter by cross-matching his/her fingerprints with that stored in the embedded chip. No other person can be accredited to vote using another voter’s PVC.

Keep a record of all PVCs read, comprising the details of all voters authenticated and those not authenticated.

Transmit the information of all PVCs presented, whether verification passed or failed to a central INEC server using the Global System Mobile Communication (GSM) data services. The transmitted information will enable:

INEC to audit accreditation and results from polling units, including demographic statistical details.

The use of the Card Reader does not violate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, or the Electoral Act 2010, as amended. The Card Reader is not a voting machine and will not be used for voting. It will be used only for the accreditation of voters. Data and results will be transmitted using it. The introduction of the Card Reader by INEC to accredit voters is one of the innovations introduced to improve the integrity of the electoral process in accordance with international best practices and this has been acknowledged by the Courts.

The Card Reader has the ability to read information of voters form the Permanent Voters Card (PVC). It has Radio frequency identification technology that will enable it to read the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) of each voter from the embedded chip in the PVC to verify the ownership of the card before allowing the voter to be accredited. To prevent fraudulent use, the Card Reader is configured to work only on Election Days. In addition, it is configured to specific polling units and cannot be used in any other Polling Unit with that configuration.

INEC has broadly subjected the Card Readers to simulation quality assurance, integrity, and functionality performance and conformance test, both locally and abroad. In addition, INEC carried out reasonable level of enhancement on the Card Reader. The Commission has also conducted field tests on the Card Readers in at least two states in each of the six geo-political zones ahead of the elections.

Based on the tests already conducted, it is highly unlikely that the Card Readers will fail. In the event of such an, INEC will deploy a technical team to resolve the challenge. However, in the event of sustained malfunction of the Smart Card Reader, the Presiding Officer (PO) shall:

Immediately inform the appropriate INEC officials for a replacement.

Suspend accreditation and Voting until a new Card Reader is made available;

File a report of the incident; and

Inform the voters and polling agents of the situation.

NOTE: Where a replacement Smart Card Reader is not available by 2:00pm the P.O shall:

inform the relevant officials

file a report of the incident; and

Inform the voters and polling agents that accreditation and voting for the affected Polling Unit, Voting Point settlement, and Voting Point shall continue the following day.

In the event that the Smart Card Reader fails to authenticate a person’s biometrics, the voter shall be referred to the appropriate officer who shall request the voter:
a. To thumbprint in the appropriate box in the Register of Voters for the PU;
b. Provide his/her phone number in the appropriate box on the Register of Voters; and
c. Thereafter he/she shall be issued with the Tendered Ballot Paper.

INEC will use Card Readers with 12-hour battery life. In addition, INEC has procured additional back-up batteries and trained election officials on the need to properly charge the Card Readers before deploying to the field on Election Days.

To prevent fraudulent use, the Card Reader is configured to work only on Election Days. In addition, the device is configured to specific polling units and cannot be used elsewhere without requiring reconfiguration by authorised INEC personnel.

The challenge with a few of the Card Reader devices in Ghana, for instance, during the country’s 2012 general elections was the battery power, apparently because the affected devices were not fully charged. It was in learning from this experience that INEC designed the Card Readers to be used in the 2015 elections with 12-hour battery life in active usage, and also procured more than 35,000 units of back-up batteries. The imperative of adequate charging of the Card Readers is underscored during the trainings of election personnel.

The supposed technology failures during Kenya’s general elections in 2013 had nothing to do with card readers, as the country used computer poll books for accreditation. The challenge was rather with the electronic system used in transmitting results, and not card readers.

Information

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to among other things organize elections into various political offices in the country.The functions of INEC as contained in Section 15, Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) and Section 2 of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended)